“You know I love you, Dianne, and you know my favorite is bacon. Which is why you have three plates of bacon in the warmer.” Trey kissed Dianne on top of the head. “I’m taking this plate with me. You better get your spatula out, and I want the ten second head start like always.”
I could hear Trey laughing all the way up the stairs. Dianne was smiling ear to ear while she pulled pots out and turned the stove on. She loved this banter as much as any of us.
“And you thought when we finally grew up we’d stop being brats to you,” I laughed. “I have to get back to my blueprints, can you send a sandwich with a salad up for me? Please?”
“Your usual?” Dianne asked. “You need to put some meat on those bones, young man. I’ll send up some dessert too.”
“I knew you would. Send up the same for Asher. I’m going to go find him.” I left the kitchen in search of my scandalous twin.
Asher wasn’t anywhere in the manor as Trey had said. I had hoped he was wrong and that my twin was hiding in his suite. I walked down to the library hoping to catch my parents, specifically my mother. I was having my doubts about this plan of hers. Mom wasn’t in the library and surprisingly neither was my father. This was strange, in itself, because as a kid, I thought maybe he never left the library, and there was a hidden bed that came out at night for him. I was heading back to my suite when my cell vibrated in my pocket.
Alright Asher, now what?
“Where you at, Ash?” I asked, hiding my frustration. “I worked on blueprints until two in the morning. You never showed up.”
“I had to get out of the manor. Mom is crazy if she thinks this is a good idea,” Asher protested. “You gotta talk her out of this for me.”
“Not gonna happen, Ash, and if you cared about anyone but yourself, you would have helped with the blueprints last night,” I demanded right back at him. “I don’t even care where you are, but you better be at the airport by noon tomorrow.”
“And what if I’m not?”
Chapter 9
IMOGEN
The injuries and the day combined were taking a toll on me. I had gone through so many emotions in the last twenty-four hours. I wanted to call my parents to let them know I was okay, but I knew Brice would have their phones tapped. It was definitely better if they knew nothing. Once I got out of the country, I could let them know I was finally safe from him. I just hoped he didn’t give them a hard time and harass them.
“Imogen, the doctor is here to check you out. Are you dressed?” Poppy tapped from outside the bedroom door.
“Yes, come on in.” I walked to the door and opened it. “You don’t have to knock in your own home.”
“Don’t be silly, everyone deserves privacy. This is Dr. Nelson, he’s here to make sure that eye is alright,” Poppy smiled. “I’ll get out of the way, but you are in very good hands.”
“Thanks, Poppy.” I smiled back. “You can stay if you want.”
“I’ll be right across the hall if you need me.” Poppy seemed to understand that I was apprehensive. “When you’re done, we have some fun stuff to do.”
“Imogen, let’s get started with an eye exam.” Dr Nelson sat his bag on the table. “I think the lip will heal on its own, in time. Does your jaw hurt?”
Dr. Nelson did a thorough exam. He had expressed that he didn’t think the orbital bone was fractured. He would feel better if we did an x-ray. At first I was anxious about an x-ray, thinking I would have to go out of the safety of the Hawthorne Hotel. But he had brought a portable x-ray machine with him.
Things are so different for the wealthy.
He took an x-ray of my ribs as well. Luckily the orbital bone was not fractured, but two ribs were. I could have told him that just based on past fractures Brice gave me. He gave a sad look when he was looking at the x-ray of my ribs. Obviously he was seeing the multiple healed fractures.
“Imogen, have you reported the person that has been hurting you like this?” Dr. Nelson asked. “It’s my duty to report these kinds of injuries. I won’t, because it’s the Hawthornes and their privacy is important, but I wish this person could be stopped from doing this to someone else.”
“Dr. Nelson, I appreciate you being discreet. I can assure you that the only reason this has gone on for so long is because this person is in law enforcement and has been impossible to escape.” I swiped angrily at tears rolling down my face. “I promise you, when I get safely out of his reach, I will find a way to have him stopped. But it will have to be higher up than the sheriff’s office.”
“That’s good enough for me. When that time comes, you contact me and I will help.” Dr. Nelson put his arm across my shoulder. “You’re one of the lucky ones that got away. Try to relax, the Hawthornes won’t let him get you.”
He left me with pain medicines and instruction for injuries. Once he was gone, Poppy pulled me to the kitchen to eat and to look online at dresses. Victoria had said Asher liked redheads, so I would be wearing the wig for now. She also said he liked short, tight dresses that were not trashy.
I’ll bet anything this Asher is more than just a playboy. He’s probably a major player too.
“Do you see anything you like here?” Poppy scrolled over the page. “Before you say anything, I’ll tell you that Victoria approved of anything on these pages.”
“It doesn’t matter to me, honestly. I’ll wear whatever you guys feel will make him choose me.” I said, barely looking at the page. “I’m your puppet for the time being, so play away.”